Jonathan and the National Assembly leaders met for about three hours at the Presidential Villa last night and following a deadlock on the four areas, it adjourned for consultation, it was gathered.

According to sources, the areas of disagreement are no-access by the Executive to the budgetary allocations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) until its Director-General, Ms Arunma Oteh, is removed; extension of the lifespan of the 2012 Capital Budget to April; 2013 budget benchmark to remain at $79 per barrel; and mandatory quarterly briefing of the National Assembly by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on the status of the implementation of the 2013 budget.

A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “These conditions were tabled as sacrosanct by the National Assembly but the Executive rejected them. Instead, the Executive wanted unconditional implementation of the budget.

“The Executive also insisted on a $75 per barrel benchmark, based on economic indices at its disposal. The National Assembly said it jacked up the budget benchmark by $4 per barrel to enable the Federal Government embark on massive infrastructural development nationwide.

Another source said: “The National Assembly leaders are just bending the rule because the statutory period allowable for the President to assent to the 2013 budget expired last Friday.

“If the deadlock subsists, the Assembly will have no choice than to pass the budget into law. This is the first time Nigeria will witness such a development.”

Those at the session were the President, the Minister of Finance, who is also the Coordinating Minister for the Economy; President of the Senate David Mark, Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and their deputies as well as other principal officers, among others.

Enough of hide & seek. The national assembly should exercise it’s constitutional duty and damn the consequence if they are truly acting in the interest of the masses.

Dankatinawa

Ebele Jonathan means something other than budget acceptance and approval.
The NASS should waste not time in approving the budget. It is not a budget for Ebele and Pat, it is a budget for Nigerians & such exercise has been on, even before Ebele could know how to walk shoesless. Nigerians, equally, believe that Ebele is getting off track. He does not know anything and wish not to know or learn!!!